Mark St. John, longtime lobbyist for social service groups, dies at 62

Mark St. John, a longtime lobbyist on social service issues at the Indiana Statehouse, died Sunday at his home.

He was 62.

St. John was a well-known fixture at the capitol, where he advocated on behalf of social service providers, gay rights organizations, environmental groups and labor unions.

His friends and associates describe him as a persistent voice for those with human service needs, including low-income Hoosiers, those with HIV/AIDS, senior citizens, the homeless, and those with mental illness and physical disabilities.

“That’s his gift,” said Lucinda Nord, a close friend and vice president of public policy at the Indiana Association of United Ways. “He was a connector. His address book was one to be rivaled. I think he enjoyed that more than anything — connecting people with like interests.”

Although his work revolved primarily around liberal causes, he was widely respected on both sides of the aisle, often forging unlikely relationships.

Rep. Woody Burton, a Whiteland Republican who is chairman of a committee that handles public retirement programs, laughed as he recalled one interaction with St. John.

“About five years ago he came up to me in the elevator and said, ‘I used to think you were an A-hole, but you’re a fair guy,’” he said. “He and I over the years became friends.”

The friendship stemmed from St. John’s gentle demeanor and ability to find common ground, Burton said.

“He was never one of those kinds who got in your face and said it has to be this way or that way. It was always, ‘How do we get to a resolution on this?’” he said. “We differed on the social issues, but he knew that I agreed with him that we should honor our obligations to our workers. He was always there to champion those people and I listened to him and took his advice because he was well informed.”

St. John was a friendly presence in the austere halls of the Statehouse, with a quick wit that could be both cutting and self-depreciating. During the legislative session, he once hung a sign in front of a row of benches occupied by lobbyists busily texting their clients and lawmakers. “Do not feed the lobbyists,” it said.

Remembrances quickly filled his Facebook page as news of his death spread Monday.

“Thank you, Mark, for your years of leadership and mentoring,” wrote Indianapolis City-County Councilman Zach Adamson. “You were a major force in moving Indiana forward. Never in the spotlight but always there doing what was necessary.”

Mark William St. John was born in Martinsville to William Manford St. John and Dorothy Eileen Deatline St. John on on Nov. 18, 1952.

He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in public affairs from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Bloomington and Indianapolis, respectively.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he worked for the state of Indiana in a variety of capacities, including at the Family and Social Services Administration.

He went on to work for a variety of organizations, including Gay Men’s Health Crisis, the Indiana Coalition on Housing and Homeless Issues, and AIDServe Indiana. He later became a principal at Lambda Consulting Inc. and joined the adjunct faculty at Indiana University’s School of Social Work.

In 2009, he started his own government affairs consulting firm, St. John & Associates. The company’s current and recent clients include the Sierra Club, Indiana Equality Action, Indiana Coalition for Human Services, Indiana Family Health Council, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, among others.

He is survived by a sister Martha St. John and brother Aaron St. John of Martinsville, a brother Dan (and Joyce) Richardson of Tempe, Ariz., many nieces and nephews and countless dear friends and colleagues.

He and his sister were planning a visit with his brother's family in Arizona in November.